


One who offers sacrifice receives power

by Sarimon



Category: Sundered (Video Game)
Genre: Lovecraftian, Mind Control, Mind Manipulation, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-23
Updated: 2018-07-23
Packaged: 2019-06-14 19:42:54
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,112
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15396021
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sarimon/pseuds/Sarimon
Summary: Eshe finds herself trapped in a strange place. The only thing that seemed to want to help her was a strange, talking crystalline form.But it had her under its control before she even knew.





	One who offers sacrifice receives power

**Author's Note:**

> So this oneshot got kinda long. Also i took some inspiration from the *other* Sundered fanfiction on this site, lol. I wish there was more Sundered fanfiction. It's such a great game.  
> Please forgive me any spelling errors or sentencess that don't make a lot of sense as i'm not a native - but tell me if you have some improvements! Much appreciated. This ff also exists in german, so don't be too confused if you speak german and find this somewhere else..in german. lol. 
> 
>  
> 
> Also, this short ff is about mind control. If anyone has had a difficult expierence with that topic, please proceed with caution.

Eshe tried to remember how she got to this place. She had never seen something so interesting, yet so scary, and was almost convinced that it was just a vivid dream that felt too real.

 

She remembered that heavy sandstorm in the desert, where she had started her search for her friends. This was not the first time that someone didn’t return from their search for resources.

Since the demise of humanity, survival in this hostile and unfriendly environment was already difficult, but in order to maintain their machines, both her and her nomadic group had no other choice but to scavenge the countryside for resources. Eshe as a mechanic helped to maintain these machines. 

Lately more and more of her friends disappeared while scavenging... she couldn‘t just stand there and watch one good friend after another disappear . She had to find them.

Concerned about her own survival as well as that of her friends and her nomadic group, Eshe set off and was fighting her way through the sandstorm when she found herself in front of a strange gate. What happened after that probably only took a few seconds in Eshe's perception. It happened too fast to process it.

She barely had time to examine this gate because almost immediately after her discovery the earth began to shake violently. Huge, dark violet stone arms emerged from the trembling sand and while she was struggling for balance, she saw the arms fists move toward her insanely fast. Dodging was impossible because of their sheer size.

 

_ I'm going to die. _

 

Eshe was immediately sure of that. Though at the same time she wished that all this was just a stupid, witless dream. She couldn't leave her group alone. They were all dependent on her and she didn’t want to be responsible for another painful loss in their side.

She didn‘t want to leave this world yet. She closed her eyes and just a second later the impact of the fists caused the ground to shake violently again.

 

She lingered for a few seconds, but felt no pain. The stone arms were gone as well. 

Relieved and confused at the same time she tried to escape, but to her horror she couldn‘t move. She figured out the reason immediately. Long, tentacle-like arms had emerged from the ground and were preventing her from moving her arms and legs. Horrified, she tried with all her might to resist being pulled down, but she couldn’t do anything about the forces she was dealing with.

 

When she opened her eyes ... she wasn’t surrounded by sand anymore ... instead she was falling. She was falling through a hole of gigantic depth while she could barely even see the ground. Now that she was out of the sand, she gasped, coughed, closed her eyes again and prepared for the impact. Although she survived those strange and frightening arms that wanted to squash her, she certainly wouldn’t survive the crash from that height. But again she hardly felt anything when she reached the bottom. What was going on here?

When she opened her eyes again after a few seconds, she found herself on a dimly lit path inside a cave whose source of light was probably the hole through which she had fallen. After..these..things pulled her down.

 

This was the first time since her discovery that Eshe had time to think. Her whole situation was just strange and by now Eshe was sure that this was a dream. It had to be a dream. No one is lucky enough to escape death twice in a row in such a short amount of time. First the stone arms, now this cave ..

 

Eshe rested for a while.

She tried, but was despite trying hard incapable of understanding what had just happened. She was angry as well as now her friends had to wait, unless they fell into exactly the same hole as she did. Also, she saw no way to get back up. There was no turning back, so she decided to explore the path in front of her.

She discovered some strange plants and animals she had never seen before. It was so different from the kind of life she was used to from the desert. Living, green plants, animals with strange characteristics, clear air to breathe. Unsure if these animals were friendly, she carefully tried to avoid them. As she continued her way, Eshe had to climb a few passages. Fortunately, she was good at that and was able to overcome the stone walls with little effort.

 

This place must have been unvisited for a long time. How could it be that this place was not affected by the decline of nature? Finally, after a while of careful exploration, she saw an entrance.

 

And this way .. she arrived here.

Here, in a huge, red-illuminated room. To the left and right of the room were huge, closed gates from which stairs led to the higher center. There was a rocky plateau covered with grass. It was also covered with a lot of lit candles. Overall, this room seemed to be a kind of central place. Eshe concluded from the candles that it had to be something spiritual.

 

But the most interesting thing about this room was this strange, crystalline geometric shape hovering above the plateau. It was also the source of the the red light that filled this room because it glowed reddish and was surrounded by a black aura.

 

Carefully, Eshe approached that geometric shape. She couldn’t explain why, but she seemed to be drawn to that form. It seemed like she could hardly resist. As she gazed into it, she saw strange worlds, peculiar images and impressions that she couldn’t have ever even imagined.

Although she was trembling with fear, she wasn’t able to avert her eyes from that form. As if it wanted her to come closer. As if it wanted to communicate ...

 

**_Hello, Eshe._ **

 

Startled, she took a step back. It knew her name?

She rapidly looked around. This form somehow seemed to communicate with her. The room was deathly quiet though. She realized that she must have been hearing his deep, almost demonic voice inside her head. The voice was so invasive yet gentle and pleasant at the same time that she felt compelled to listen to it. The out-of-the-world sounding language was unknown to her, but yet she seemed to understand what it was saying.

She held her head with her hands, trying to fight her limitless fear.

 

**_How interesting that a human like you should find herself in such a place._ **

 

"Indeed" Eshe thought to herself as she managed to get her fear slightly under control. She had so many questions. Was this thing responsible for all of this?

 

**_This is my home or, well, what remains of it._ **

**_Surely , you weren’t taken here for nothing. I can sense a dark purpose in your future._ **

 

Eshe was visibly confused. What was it talking about? It lived here? What happened? What was this kind of place?

 

**_But fear not, for I, the Shining Trapezohedron, shall be the weapon that leads you to freedom._ **

 

"What? How? "Eshe wanted to ask, but her words got stuck in her throat. She still was too scared to talk to this form, this Shining Trapezohedron, which continued to speak.

 

**_I shall lend you my powers, so you can fight this place. Simply listen to me and do as I say._ **

 

Fighting this place? Eshe looked around, but could not find anything that would possibly be dangerous. But when she turned back to the Shining Trapezohedron, it disappeared and the ground began to shake again.

 

" _ Not again _ " she thought and tried to escape, but before she could do so, a red ray of light already hit her. She felt an unknown force lift her off the ground and almost immediately she felt something strong, foreign, yet familiar invade her mind. At first she tried to resist, but apparently that  _ strange something _ had a much stronger will than her which could overwhelm her mind with ease. As soon as it broke her resistance, it settled in her mind. She wanted to hold her head, but was paralyzed with fear.

The ray of light disappeared as fast as it came. After a few seconds the reddish glow of the vast room gave way to a normal lighting, just as she had seen it in the cave through which she arrived here.

 

Eshes knees denied their service and forced her to the ground. Never in her life had she experienced such a thing. Is this all just a stupid prank her senses played on her? After a few moments she calmed down, after which she recognized it. That strange thing in her mind felt much like the feeling she had when she approached the Shining Trapezohedron. It has taken a place inside her head, or, she realized, not it itself, but something that belonged to it. At the same time she noticed something in her bag. It was the Shining Trapezohedron which has shrunk itself to fit in her pocket. She picked it up and examined it. It still glowed red and deep in the core of the crystal was the black mist that pulsated there. Like it was breathing. It was still difficult for her to avert her eyes from of it.

 

**_Eshe._ **

 

She had finally gathered enough courage to answer the Shining Trapezohedron.

"What exactly are you? Are you a kind of god? What have you done to me?"

 

**_My origin is a world in another dimension older than this one. I have seen things that are beyond comprehension to the human mind. But even if I can not express it in human language, I can at least show it to you._ **

 

The Shining Trapezohedron changed the topic.

 

**_We have to go, Eshe. You have to remember._ **

 

Remember what? She tried to pursue the strange something inside her mind. It felt like something forgotten ... Now it made sense when the Shining Trapezohedron was speaking of remembering. She focused and explored every aspect of it.

And then she remembered. To specify it, it weren’t her own memories, but peculiar

knowledge, which the Shining Trapezohedron probably left to her. She remembered how she could use the it. She took and wielded it as if it was a sword. And indeed, the Trapezohedron was followed by a colored shadow in the form of a sword . She also knew that she could turn it into any weapon. She sensed the immense power in this weapon, but she had no experience with fighting. How could the Shining Trapezohedron expect her to fight? What will she be dealing with? However, before she could follow those thoughts, the Shining Trapezohedron already continued.

 

**_Very good. We have to explore these caves, become stronger. I will not be able to get you out of here only by myself._ **

 

Eshe hesitated for a while, then finally set out to explore the cave complex. She barely had a choice. So far, the Shining Trapezohedron was the only sentient being..or thing.. that wanted to help her.

 

It was not long before she understood why it had lent her its powers. The complex was full of monsters and creatures who attacked her.

In general, every living thing seemed to want her dead or was thirsting for her, making it difficult for Eshe to stay alive.

Though the more monsters she defeated, the more confident she became. Eventually she found some shrines inside the complex that contained various types of technology. Not long after that she figured out that she could use them for herself. 

She learned from the Shining Trapezohedron that it was the technology of the Valkyries. But when Eshe asked about them, she received no answer.

 

Even with this technology, it was hard to stay alive, but she managed it. Every time she received one of these technologies, the Shining Trapezohedron gave a comment about how much stronger it could make them with an Elder Shard. Eshe asked what exactly it meant with that, but even then she never received an answer.

She also got the feeling that the Shining Trapezohedron wasn’t a talkative being at all.

It was single-minded, did not waste time talking unnecessarily, and chose carefully what information it wanted to share with her. As if it didn’t fully trust her.

 

Not long after she found the second shrine, Eshe heard a weird sound that resembled a gong. It didn’t sound like a good sign to begin with and it actually wasn’t as she now had to deal with a horde of monsters that came out of nowhere.

She was unprepared and the Shining Trapezohedron remained silent.

Quickly she pulled her weapon and tried to push back the flood of monsters using all her strength. At first she succeeded, but soon their number grew more and more.

With every second Eshe fought more desperately, but she couldn’t prevent her shield, one of the technologies she had picked up from one of the shrines, from breaking. The horde of monsters quickly subdued her.

Eventually she had to give in to her injuries and collapsed to the ground.

Eshe was sure that this meant her death this time. This pain was real. Even the Shining Trapezohedron did not try to communicate with her at all. She was on her own. This time it she would die.

The monsters were about to put her to an permanent end, but almost immediately after she collapsed, the earth began to tremble. Eshe, who already associated earthquakes with strange experiences, thought it was a bad omen.

Tentacle-like arms that were familiar to her emerged from the ground.

 

_ Oh no. _

 

They were the same ones that pulled her down to this world. But why?

Did anyone want to make sure that she would die? Its not like she wasn’t almost dead anyway.

Eshe, who was at the limit of her own strength and who wasn’t able to defend herself anymore at all, succumbed to her fate.

 

When she regained consciousness, she found herself in the room where she first met the Shining Trapezohedron. She was laying on the plateau with the candles while it, having taken its original shape, was hovering in the air not far from her. At least she was not alone. Eshe analyzed her surroundings. She concluded that this probably wasn’t a dream. This place, the monsters, the Shining Trapezohedron..it all was real. As she turned around, she saw a huge, drawn tree on the previously empty and huge wall, constructed by points and lines. The Shining Trapezohedron seemed to be waiting for her to wake up, for as soon as she looked around it began to speak again.

 

**Finally we arrived at this point. What you see here is one of the sources of my power - The Trapezohedron’s Tree.**

 

"You knew that this would happen? Was it you who sent these tentacles? "Eshe asked, trying not to sound as upset as she felt. It could at least have said that death would not save her. But that didn’t seem to be the nature of the Shining Trapezohedron. Or maybe it wanted her to find out for herself.

 

**_As you might have noticed, death does not mean the end in this world. If death finds you, spend the shards you've collected to improve your fate. Trust me. You will need it._ **

 

Eshe understood. At least partially as it left the question of the tentacles unanswered.

If it really was him then the tentacles on the surface would have been his work. It would have been him who intentionally brought Eshe to this place.

Lacking the courage to dig deeper, she continued with a barely noticeable, frustrated sigh.

 

"So, how do I use the tree?"

 

**_You'll find out that you already know .... you have to remember._ **

 

Eshe concluded from this answer that he meant the knowledge he had left in her mind. Quickly she sat down on the floor and began to meditate.

She explored the foreign presence as she did before, and actually remembered - the Shining Trapezohedron knew how to use the shards, collected from the endless hordes - but now she knew it as well.

She remembered only a fraction of the ways she could improve the abilities of both her and of the Shining Trapezohedron, but even for the small amount she knew of  _ now _ , she would need many more shards. How powerful must the Shining Trapezohedron once have been ..

 

**_Oh, Eshe - This world is completely different from your own. It changes constantly. It has a life of its own. Stay alert, as danger is always near._ **

 

When Eshe set out again, she quickly learned what the Shining Trapezohedron was trying to tell her.

Space and time were defined differently in this world. With a few exceptions, nothing was as it was before. Each time the monsters killed her, she had to fight her way through the caves again. But she was a stubborn woman and did not want to give up her freedom.

 

_ The world has a life of its own .. _

 

Over time, her thoughts and actions changed. When she first left the room with the Trapezohedron’s tree, she was careful and anxious, explored the caves slower, more strategically.

However, after each death she felt less and less fear. Although it was unpleasant to be severely injured and then having to die, she was no longer afraid of it. She accepted death as a chance to gain strength and start over again. Her way of measurement fear as well as her sense of time changed as well.

After a while she could no longer reliably tell how much time had actually passed since she joined the Shining Trapezohedron. For her it felt like an eternity, but this world followed, as the Shining Trapezohedron already noted, its own rules. In the end it wasn’t even important anymore. Since death has become the norm and thus an integral part of her explorations, time, sleep and hunger faded into insignificance. Strategy gave way to efficiency - she walked faster and more agile through the caves, whose strategically important places she had memorized - the rooms that were always in the same place - and used them for orientation.

 

But a certain amount of reverence for the Shining Trapezohedron remained. The more time Eshe spent with it, the more she felt that it was right - that she needed its help to escape.

Unconsciously she knew that this was not her own thought. She struggled not losing her mind to it or this world.

But even though she almost forgot the sense of time and fear, she managed to resist those alluring thoughts. Eshe was still in control.

 

_ Resist... _

 

So if she knew one thing about these caves, it was that with a few exceptions she could not rely on anything. One of these exceptions were  the rooms that always were the same and the other one was Zaekthaesz, the sanctuary with the Trapezohedron’s Tree - where the hordes were not able to ambush her.

 

Eshe suspected that the Shining Trapezohedron was protecting Zaekthaesz, but it never confirmed or disproved that. It was the same way it always responded to her questions. At some point, she finally got used to waiting for an answer or she didn’t even bother to ask.

From time to time the answers came on their own, because in some of these never-changing places the Shining Trapezohedron became suddenly quite talkative. In these places Eshe always noticed large crystals surrounded by a strange aura. It didn’t match the aura of the Shining Trapezohedron, but it pretty much resembled it. This way she learned more about the decline of humanity, this place, the war between the Eschaton and the Valkyries, about important persons ... often these monologues answered some of her questions.

She even learned more about the Shining Trapezohedron itself.

So it was actually willing to answer her – just in its own way. In a controlled way.

From its narratives Eshe concluded that it must belong to the Eschaton.

When it talked about the Valkyries, it had a very clear attitude towards them. Also, the comments that it made about their technologies only supported her conclusion. She wondered what the Valkyries thought about the Eschaton or why they were at war with them - but the Shining Trapezohedron itself would be barely wanting to tell her that -even in those rooms where it broke its silence.

 

She was about to enter a new room when the Shining Trapezohedron began to speak.

 

**_This was built by the Valkyries to hold Krurhal Milarh captive. You will meet him ... very soon. You should proceed with caution._ **

 

So this was the guardian who long ago protected the Eschaton. Krurhal Milarh. Was he so dangerous to the Valkyries that they had to lock him away if they could just have killed him instead? Or was there something that prevented his death for whatever reason? Nevertheless, she did not hesitate after the Shining Trapezohedron finished talking and continued on her way. She was nervous because she did not know what to expect, but boundless fear, as she had experienced it at the beginning of her journey, was something that Eshe had already overcome.

 

Krurhal Milarh was unlike the opponents she had fought before. The first thing she noticed was his sheer size - compared to him she was a small spot in the landscape.

And then she noticed the fragments of an Elder Shard that controlled him.

She was surrounded by various pillars and platforms to climb on.

So she knew what she had to do - no fragments – no Elder Shard. Her goal was to rid him of his fragments.

With his portals, Krurhal Milarh was able to throw countless fists in her direction. Whenever these fists hit something, the earth shook violently, making it even harder for her to move or keep her balance. It was difficult, but Eshe defeated him.

She examined the Elder Shard that fell into her hands. The air around it trembled from its power. It was truly something powerful.

 

The Shining Trapezohedron began to laugh.

 

**_Well done, Eshe. Bring that Shard to a Shrine - Experience true faith - true power ... You'll need it to get closer to freedom. Unlock your true potential._ **

 

The fight with Krurhal Milarh was over, but Eshe's internal struggle was just beginning.

If she accepted his offer, she would give up on something of herself. If she resists, she would have to continue to fight these alluring thoughts.

She was exposed to the influence of the Shining Trapezohedron and of the Elder Shard. This world wanted to change her. She was kneeling on the floor, holding her head.

 

**_You know it's the only way, Eshe. It could be so much easier if you let me help you._ **

 

She slowly approached the shrine. This time it had a dark aura that made it even harder to resist.

 

Eshe took a deep breath. The Shining Trapezohedron was right. The strength would help her to escape this place.

She took the Shard and placed it on the shrine.

This time she was not afraid of the upcoming change. But as the eldritch forces lifted her from the ground and as the Elder Shard entered her heart, it made her scream out of horror and agony.

The last bit of resistance broke as the eldritch power of the Elder Shard changed her, taking a part of her humanity in exchange. She heard the manical laughter of the Shining Trapezohedron, but it sounded like it was coming from a faraway place.

The few seconds that Eshe was airborne felt like an eternity, but eventually the eldritch forces let her down on the ground again.

 

Eshe was still terrified. Had the Shining Trapezohedron deceived her?

But when she felt her new power, she immediately dismissed that thought. It did not matter.

She already lost the fight long ago.

The Shining Trapezohedron controlled how she thinks, feels and acts long before she even noticed his influence. Its intentions were hers, that what it wanted, she wanted as well.

Its morality was hers.

It had long been in control of her while she still believed she was still in control.

 

And now it had completely subdued her will to itself.

 

She could feel how pleased the Shining Trapezohedron was with her.

This was everything she wanted. 

 

**_I told you so, right? That little sacrifice is nothing compared to the eldritch power that you get in return._ **

 

Again, the Shining Trapezohedron began to laugh and Eshe grinningly listened to it as she continued her way. The next Elder Shard was already waiting for her.

  
  



End file.
